FIELD CROPS. 637 



aero, was stH-urwl whero 3 cwt. of kaiiiit ami liJ cwt. of rape meal was aiiplicd 

 (liirinj; tlu' wintor. Tlu» avi>ra>,'e yield of scutched flax was also larjiest in this 

 (est, and the average returns from the scutched flax ranked flrst witli £13 Os. 3d. 

 The average returns fn»m flax and tow i>er acre amounted to £13 KJs. Id. The 

 cost of the manure in this experiment amounted to £1 and the profit per acre 

 from the use of the manure to £3 (js. Id., heing a greater return than that 

 secure<l from any other application in the test. On the manured plats receiv- 

 ing potash in some form no yellowing took place. 



Experiments with Dutch and Kiga seed were conducted at 8 centers. The 

 Dutch seed consisted of Kiga Child imported from Holland and a Belfast brand 

 of Dutch seed, and tlie Kiga seed consisted of Pernau Crown imported from 

 Kussia and a lielfast brand of Kiga seed. The Dutch seed gave better returns 

 than the Kiga seed. The Riga Child see<l imported from Holland produced the 

 higher yield "of straw and fiber at 5 centers of the 8, but the average returns 

 were in favor of the Belfast brand of Dutch seed. At 6 centers Pernau Crown 

 stvd proved more jirofitable than the Belfast brand of Kiga seed. 



A test on the rii)pling of green straw resulted in a balance against rippling 

 of 2s. .")d. in net returns per ton of green straw. When the straw is rippled the 

 seeds suitable for feeding purposes are saved from the green bolls. The profit- 

 ableness of rippling is dei)endent almost entirely on the amount of seed carried 

 i)y the crop. 



Jute and jute substitutes from. West Africa (/>///. /»//*. Jii.sl., 6 U!>OS), 

 \(). J. lip. 12IJ-135). — Samples of jute and jute substitutes, including Hihificiis 

 ( sciilcntiis. If. (iiiiiuiurlfthiis. If. liindiiifoliKsi 'i), H(»ukcn\jn /icifolia, and I'reua 

 hthiitn were examined and their chemical composition is reported. The samples 

 were secured from Sierra Leone, Northern and Southern Nigeria, .and (Jambia. 



Report on field trials on varieties of mangel [Miilldiul .\(jr. and Daiii/ Col. 

 Kill, li, nxns. pp. ').i-(i.i). — I'rizewinner and Ked Intermediate prodticed the 

 largest yield but with a low percentage of dry matter, while Sugar Mangel and 

 New (iolden King gave the smallest yield but with the highest percentage of 

 dry matter of any in the test. Golden King had the lowest percentage of roots 

 gone to seetl and Sugar Mangel the highest. The varieties reconmieuded for 

 the Midlands are rrizewiimer. Red Intermediate, and Normanton Globe, the 

 yields for these varieties in tliese exi)eriments being .'{() tons 2 cwt., 30 tons IJ 

 cwt., and 2.") tons l.")j cwt.. res]i(>ctively. 



The orig'in of the cultivated potato and the bvid variations of wild tuber- 

 bearing solanums under cultivation, E. IIkckel {Sur Ics Origines dc la 

 f'omnic dc Tcrrc ('itUircc ct aur leu Mutations Grmmaircs Cidtiirnlcft dm 

 Solnniim Tuhdrif^res Sauvages. Marseilles, 1007, pp. 82, pis. 8. figx. /7). — 

 The history of the potato is given and the author's observations on different 

 wild solanums under cultivation are presented. Solannm eommcrsonii and its 

 wild varieties did not undergo any variation at Marseilles. It is stated that 

 bud variation gives to the species much greater vigor so that all parts increase 

 in size, tiiat the flowers as well as the tubers enlarge and change in color, and 

 that ev«'ii tlie form of the fruits whi<'h sometimes api)ear on the mutations 

 wliile tlie tyi>t> spe<Mes n>main sterile may be modified. Tlie products of these 

 mutations, although from very different tyiK^s. resemble each other moriiho- 

 logically much more than those from the original tyi)es. . 



The dry matter and starch content of potatoes, S. IIai.s (TidsKkr. Norskc 

 Landhr., 1 >, (1007). \o. II, pp. ,/,6V,-}6\0).— Analyses of (iO samples of Norwe- 

 gian iKitatoes show that the starch content increases with the dr.v matter con- 

 tent. Potatoes containing from 1(5 to 17 i>er ci'iit of dry matter containeil (57.4 

 \tvv cent of starch in the dry matter, and potatoes containing over 23 per cent 

 of dry matter contained 73.5) per cent of starch in the dry matter. Noustarchy 



